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Eighty-one adolescent and young mother–infant dyads have been divided into two groups with/without traumatic experiences in maternal history to examine the effect of maternal traumatic experiences on the quality of mother–infant relationship. At infant 3 months, mother–infant interaction was video-recorded. Results showed that adolescent and young mothers with traumatic experiences (vs. adolescent and young mothers without traumatic experiences) had less sensitive and more violent and intrusive behaviours. Infants with mothers with traumatic experiences (vs. infants with mothers without traumatic experiences) had more aggressive and reactive behaviours. Furthermore, maternal cumulative traumatic experiences predicted more negative behaviours. Findings indicated that maternal childhood traumatic experiences increased an adolescent mother's risk for maternal–child interaction problems, worsened the high-risk condition inherent in motherhood in adolescence. Understanding the effect of adolescent mother's traumatic experiences has important implications for promoting early intervention in the treatment of trauma and supporting the mother–child relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the effectiveness of PRERAYMI (Promoting Responsiveness Emotion Regulation and Attachment in Young Mothers and Infants) attachment-based intervention programme aimed at adolescent mother-infant dyads. The intervention used video-feedback and developmental guidance to promote maternal mind-mindedness and sensitivity. 32 adolescent mother-infant dyads in the intervention group were compared to 12 adolescent mother-infant dyads in the control group. Maternal mind-mindedness and maternal/infant styles of interaction were evaluated, at the pre-treatment (infant 3 months) and at the post-treatment (infant 9 months). The results indicated the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing mind-mindedness, with more mind-related comments and fewer non-attuned mind-related comments, maternal sensitivity and infant cooperative behaviour, and in reducing maternal controlling behaviour, in the intervention group. Changes in mother/infant interaction styles or in mind-mindedness in the control group were not detected. The attachment based medium term intervention helped to improve adolescent mother-infant relationship, which is otherwise potentially at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]